Dental massage device



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' DENTAL MASSAGE DEVICE Filed March 28, 1958 INVENTOR Mae/w; v M lrds Eur/m1.

7 0 22 g 30 I I BY I ATTORNEY United States Patent 6 DENTAL MASSAGE DEVICE Murray W. Rosenthal, New Brunswick, N.J., assignor to Pycope, Incorporated, Jersey City, NJ., a corporation of Missouri Application March 28, 1958, Serial No. 724,642

6 Claims. (Cl. 128-62) The present invention relates generally to improvements in dental appliances, and in particular it relates to an improved combination tooth brush and gum massaging device.

It has long been a common practice to mount an interdental massaging device or prod adjacent to the end of a tooth brush handle opposite to the head end thereof. This interdental massaging device or prod has been formed generally of a resilient material and of such length and cross-sectional shape as to fit the interdental spaces. The axis of the massaging device or prod generally ha been perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tooth brush handle since that is most convenient for use.

While this arrangement greatly facilitates the use of the interdental massaging device or prod, the mounting or storing of this type of tooth brush in the conventional bathroom fixture serving as a tooth brush holder is very diflicult, if not impossible. The ordinary tooth brush holder generally includes a horizontal shelf having a vertical opening or openings of slightly greater dimensions than the corresponding dimensions of the tooth brush handle transverse cross section, and of lesser dimensions than the tooth brush head. In stored condition, the tooth brush head rests on the top face of the shelf and the handle depends through the shelf vertical opening. The brush is removed merely by raising it out of engagement with the brush holder opening. It is thus apparent that the conventional bathroom tooth brush holder cannot be employed with the combination tooth brush and interdental prod of the type above described except with great difficulty, if at all.

A device of the present general type is disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,790,441, granted on April 30, 1957. Although the aforesaid device is generally satisfactory, it possesses drawbacks and disadvantages and leaves something to be desired.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved dental appliance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved combination tooth brush and gum massaging device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved combination tooth brush and interdental prod.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved combination tooth brush and interdental prod capable of storage in the conventional bathroom tooth brush holder.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved combination tooth brush and interdental prod of such structure as to permit the use of the prod in a plurality of positions, and to facilitate the storage of the prod in the conventional tooth brush holder.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein 2,888,008 Patented May 26, 19 59 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tooth brush embodying the present invention, the conventional portion of the tooth brush being illustrated in broken line;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail perspective exploded view of the trailing end of the present device, illustrating the various elements thereof; and

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 33 in Figure 1, the interdental prod being illustrated in full line in longitudinally extended position and in broken line in transversely directed position.

In a sense, the present invention contemplates the provision of an improved dental massage device comprising an elongated handle terminating in a yoke member having a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending legs, said legs having formed in the confronting faces. thereof open-ended grooves; a spindle member having oppositely projecting trunnions rotatably registering with.

said grooves, said spindle being provided with a pair of angularly related, substantially flat surfaces; a tapered prod mounted on said spindle and extending radially of the axis of said trunnionsyand a leaf spring carried by said. handle and selectively engaging said angularly related faces releasably to maintain said prod in longitudinally and angularly extending positions.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate a preferredembodimentof the present invention, reference numeral 10 generally designates the tooth brush body member which is preferably formed of a synthetic organic. thermoplastic material and includes a head portion 12 and a longitudinally extending handle 14. A plurality of tufts 16 formed of natural or synthetic bristles have their bases embedded in the face of head 12 on one face, thereof in conventional manner.

Projecting rearwardly from the trailing end of handle 14 and formed integral therewith are a pair of transversely spaced parallel legs 18 which define a yoke and which are provided with confronting parallel vertical faces 20, the upper and lower edges of legs 18 preferably being coplanar with the upper and lower faces ofhandle 14. Formed in the top face of handle 14 is a relatively shallow, wide, longitudinally extending recess 22 which extends beyond the end of handle 14 and over the top of yoke legs 18 to provide shoulders 24 extending to the inner faces 20 of legs 18. The forward wall 26 of recess 22 is of convex configuration. A tongue-receiving bore 28 is medially located in recess 22 and extends transversely through to the opposite face of handle 14. A pair of transversely aligned grooves 30 are formed in the confronting faces of legs 18 and extend from shoulders 24 to an arcuate seat 32 having a center substantially midway between the upper and lower face of yoke legs 18.

A spindle 34 of substantially square transverse cross section and of a width slightly less than the distance between leg faces 20 is provided with a pair of oppositely directed trunnions 36 which rotatably engage grooves 30 and rest on arcuate seats 32 thereof. A rectangular platform 38 is located along an end face of spindle 34 and is formed integral therewith. Platform 38 in turn carries an integrally formed projecting stud having a square head portion 40 connected to platform 38 by a shank portion 42. Spindle 34 is of such dimensions that when in its extended position, as illustrated in full line in Figure 3 of the drawing, the top face of the spindle is substantially coplanar with shoulder 24 and when in upright position, as illustrated in broken line in Figure 3, the underface of spindle 34 is substantially coplanar with shoulder 24 and the spindle is freely rotatable in the yoke member, platform 38 clearing the trailing corners of yoke legs 18.

The massage element or prod is designated by numeral 50 and is formed of a suitably resilient material such as rubber or the like and includes a conical tip 52 and an assaoos integrally formed arcuate enlarged base portion 54 having an underface of substantially the same configuration a the face of platform 38. A cavity 56 is formed in base 54 the inwardly directed peripheral lip 58 of which tightly embraces stud head 40.

A resilient leaf spring 60 nests in recess 26 and overlies shoulder 24, the forward edge of leaf spring 64) being concave and mating With recess wall 26. A tongue 63 extends perpendicularly from leaf spring 60 and passes through the wall of handle 14 as directed by guide bore 28, the free end of tongue 63 being upset, as at 65, and located within a shallow recess 67 formed in the upper face of handle 14. Leaf spring 60 locks spindle 34- in the yoke member and releasably maintains spindle 34 and supported prod St in an extended position or in an upright position by reason of its bearing against one of the angularly related faces of spindle 34. When the spindle is rotated from one position to the other the trailing end of leaf spring 60 is flexed by the lower trailing edge of the spindle and when the spindle is swung past its dead center position the flexed spring urges it to and maintains it either in upright or longitudinally extending position.

The unit is simply assembled merely by applying prod 50 to the stud member and bringing trunnions 36 into registry with grooves 3t). Tongue 63 of spring 66 is thereafter driven through guide bore 28 and the end thereof upset in a conventional manner.

While there has been described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is apparent from the above that numerous alterations and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. An improved dental massage device comprising an elongated handle terminating in a yoke member having a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending legs, said legs having formed in the confronting faces thereof open-ended grooves, a spindle member having oppositely projecting trunnions rotatably registering with said grooves, said spindle being provided with a pair of angularly related, substantially fiat surfaces, a tapered prod mounted on said spindle and extending radially of the axis of said trunnions, and a leaf spring carried by said handle and selectively engaging said angularly related faces releasably to maintain said prod in longitudinally and angularly extending positions.

2. A dental massage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said handle has formed in a face thereof a longitudinally extending recess communicating with the open ends of said grooves, said leaf spring nesting in said recess and overlying the open ends of said grooves.

3. A dental massage device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said spring is provided with a tongue which engages said handle.

4. A dental massage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said spindle is of rectangular transverse cross section.

5. A dental massage device in accordance with claim 1, including a stud having a shank and an enlarged head extending radially from said spindle, said prod being provided with a base portion having a socket formed therein engaging said stud.

6. A dental massage device in accordance with claim 5, wherein said socket has a restricted opening, the border of which engages said stud shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,487,075 Olson et al Mar. 18, 1524 2,790,441 Oderman Apr. 30, 1957 2,800,899 Barron July 30, 1957 

